Detroit Red Wings: Dan Bylsma parts ways after butchering powerplay
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Red Wings have reportedly parted ways with assistant coach Dan Bylsma. The announcement came alongside General Manager (GM) Steve Yzerman’s earlier announcement in regards to the coaching staff.
For those who missed it, the Detroit Red Wings have reached a contract extension with head coach Jeff Blashill. The Red Wings did announce in a corresponding move; the team was going to part ways with Bylsma, who is pursuing other opportunities in the NHL.
Bylsma’s time here has more recently been known as destroying the team’s powerplay unit. Earlier this year, Bylsma was to blame as the Red Wings powerplay was one of the worst in the league.
In fact, the Red Wings would finish just shy of last place in the NHL. The Red Wings powerplay converted at a horrifying 11.41% rate this season. Bylsma was manning the powerplay unit until Blashill opted to take up the job after the team was nearing a hopeless stretch.
Detroit Red Wings assistant coach Dan Bylsma has parted ways with the organization.
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While the Red Wings did lack manpower and the team was not the most skilled. But, Bylsma’s inability to get things going with the team’s powerplay unit was alarming.
So his dismissal or mutual parting of ways should not be the most shocking. Overall, the team was terrible; a 19-27-10 record is abysmal, and another year of a dumpster fire.
The thing with Bylsma’s struggles here is that he was unable to even get things going on the top unit.
Even with limited talent, the hope should be that the team’s top powerplay unit will be able to convert and put the puck in the net, but for the Red Wings, was this just not the case.
Even on a team that struggles to score, the team is at a man advantage and should be able to make it work.
But. Bylsma’s leadership (and eventually Blashill too) was unable to light a fire under the team’s special teams. The hope will be that the replacement for Bylsma can fix this and work with the assets the team does have.
The end of the rebuild is not in sight, and Bylsma’s departure is not that big of a deal, but it could mean the team’s special teams might be salvaged a little bit as the 2021-22 season comes into view later in the summer.
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Best of luck to Bylsma in his search for other opportunities, but he sure did butcher the team’s special teams, which already need all the help they can get.